The board has been preparing to offer training courses on plumbing, steel fixing, scaffolding, painting and mason for male workers. The demand of workers trained in such skills is huge in the Gulf and Middle East. Sthaneshwor Devkota, executive director at the FEPB, said his office has been focusing on various skill-based trainings of migrant workers of late. “The curriculum of the courses will be prepared within a week and the training will be started within Jestha if everything gœs well,” he said. According to the board, the training will be provided through 12 training centres chosen through a bidding process. “The first priority will be given to workers who already have obtained the visa. The second priority will be given to those with passport,” an FEPB official said. Around 600 workers will benefit from the initial phase of this scheme and it will be extended to cover other professions depending on its effectiveness and further demand.

 

The cost of the training will be Rs 6000 per person. The board has been providing a domestic worker training after the Department of Foreign Employment made a mandatory provision of a pre-departure training for domestic workers. Besides this, training for care-givers going to Israel is likely to begin soon depending on the outflow of the worker and the demand. The board was facing criticism lately for failing to utilise over Rs 1 billion of the Migrant Workers’ Welfare Fund.